Pond Question

[doohap]

Got a question.

If you can imagine our pond as a circle, the spring that feeds it enters at about 10 o'clock on that circle. There is a natural area from the neighbors pasture that drains into our pond at about 12 o'clock on that circle.

Is there something that I could plant that would cause a sort of filter for the water that comes through that drainage area but not dam it up or be EXTREMELY invasive. Is this a feasable idea? Would water iris work? I can grow them here in East Texas.

My goal is this:

Cattle are run on the pasture in the back. We've fence off our pond since acquiring the property to keep the cattle out. We're going to be using our pond for irrigation and trough-filling purposes for the pasture below it. It's a good fishing pond and, at times in the past, people have used it for a swimming hole. The cattle water at the drainage area when levels are high. I know I won't be able to completely clean the runoff into our pond, but I also know there are ways to kind of filter or treat the water in community systems that use water plants.

Anyway, I may be batting in the dark, but knew if I could find any information it would be here.

Thanks in advance for your answers.

P.S. Unfortunately I'm going to be leaving here in a couple of hours (GOING TO THE FARM! ), so if I don't respond after a while you'll know I'm not ignoring you. I'll get back to the post next week. Smiles.

[fishhead]

I would look for a deep rooted grass that grows fairly densely. The thick growth will slow the water down and allow the sediments to drop out and the deep roots will provide channels for the water to percolate into the soil. It will still end up in your pond but a lot cleaner.

[fantasymaker]

Ive seen dams made of lage rock(rip rap) It doesnt stop the water from coming thru just slows it and gives time for solids to settle out a bit. any water loving plant should help filter the water so simply restrict access to the wet area just up stream from your pond.

[Thoughthound]

Grass for waterways and cattails. Grass for waterways will use the nitrogen from the cattle and the cat tails will thrive with their feet wet and filter out the rest.

Put in enough wetland plants and the govt. might pay you for wetlands. Check with your local DNR.

[uncle Will in In.]

Your taxes are paying people to give you help with such projects. Here we have Soil and Water District offices that are usually ajacent to the Gov. FSA office. There are incentive programs where they make annual payments for establishing riparian strips along water and waterways that will filter the water going into our streams. Even if your project doesn't qualify for payment, they will be able to give you the advice on what to grow and what to do to create just what you have in mind. Here the FSA offices are in nearly every county.

[agmantoo]

A limestone riprap for the water to flow through then cattails near the pond

[Maura]

You could creat a mini pond or bog area to act as a lagoon for the cattle run off. A bog will encourage mosquitos, so I'd probably dig a mini pond for the run off to go into, then a grassy stream or something with iris and other water loving plants between it and the pond. Cattails is a good idea. I'd also set up an area with lava rock or something similar with alot of nooks and crannies so that beneficial bacteria have a home to use up the bacteria. By the time the run off hits your pond it will be much cleaner.

[copperkid3]

All good suggestions concerning the plants/rip-rap, etc., but consider installing a number of bales of wheat straw across the drainage area. Fasten them to the ground by pounding rebar thru them; 2 bars to a bale and at least a couple feet into the ground to secure them. This will allow the sediments to settle out BEFORE reaching your pond and also slow the water going into it.....giving the plants time to absorb more of the water and nutrients and keeping a majority of the sediment out of the pond. Depending on the flow; you might want to consider putting in 2 or more rows of bales across the pathway of the ditch and stagger them so that there are no gaps between the bales.

[rambler]

What amount of room do you have between your neighbor's fence & your pond?

Distance is the most help you have! Are we talking 50 feet, 300 feet, or???

--->Paul

[OkieDavid]

Several folks nailed it.....As Uncle Will said, creating a riparian buffer would be my preferred alternative- Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) which used to be called the Soil Conservation Service has a set amount of funding for projects like this. As I recall, we're getting late in the season for this year's program but they start anew in Oct each year. Best thing is that they offer it on a cost share basis (often 70-30) where you get to count your labor as your 30% cost share. Will go for things like fencing, plantings, establishment of a concrete livestock watering basin (to keep the livestock from stirring up the sediments etc...). Phone number is in the US Gov't pages. You'll get extra credit if you can tie the project into providing some benefit to an endangered species.....

David

[texican]

How many cows? How large is the pond? deep? Does the spring flow year round? Water go over the spillway continually?

If it's not a feedlot situation, the pond can probably use some fertilizer coming from the cows. If you want to raise fish (esp. catfish), fertilization is recommended. More nutrients, more food for plankton, and the whole ecosystem.

Now, if you're using your water for drinking purposes, I'd be worried. I don't allow cattle around my pond/lake, cause I don't want the water cloudy or green. I sacrifice a lot of fish production, because I like the water clear...all the better to swim in, and easier to filter out the nasties for drinking.

[Little Quacker in OR]

What a fun project. Good show! You are wise to be wary of water plants. Get some good advice from local sources...Extension Service...Koi Pond People etc as to what will be invasive. I can tell you right now that ALL Cat tails are very invasive. Newer horticultural varieties will take longer to completely fill in your pond..but they will do it in time. Depends on the depth of the water as to what will just spead around the edges and then on down stream and what won't. Do be aware that anything you put in there WILL spread downstream and grow there.

I use Yellow Flag Iris for my pond and the ducks keep in under control...I can see places though where it's sprouting here and there where some run off goes. .

Good luck with things............LQ

[doohap]

WOW! Great input. We're just back from the farm where we spent four days working hard and sittin' back, lookin' around at all the beauty and peace, staring at the pond ... the POND!

I really appreciate you all taking the time to help me put my thinking straight.

As Little Quacker cautioned, I'm VERY wary of altering the natural occurences of our little jewel, but because of my own desire to swim in that pond a bit, I am concerned about the quality of the water. We did have it tested for stocking purposes a while back and all those levels were O.K., but we've really not had a thorough test of the water done yet, though that is one item on the long list of priorities we have set.

The area I'm speaking of is not always wet. Our property backs up to the neighbor's and the upper end of the pond just licks under the fence in drier weather, becomes a walkable mut flat in REAL dry weather, but can be under a foot-and-a-half to two feet in wet weather, as it is now, and spans about twenty-five feet along the fence line. My neighbor runs about 70 to 75 head of cattle on the two-hundred acres surrounding my 16 on three sides. She does rotate the cattle, so they're not always on the adjacent pasture, but when they are they all seem to make a trip through the wet end of the pond for a drink on their way from one area to another. During drier times, they're sticking their heads through flipping their long tongues into the water on our side of the fence.

I'm real drawn to using some sort of rock as a filtering system. That could reasonably be done. And some sort of rock dam would keep the cattle from sticking their heads through and would look good besides. But I'm also familiar with the benefits of using straw bales in helping keep ponds clear. Maybe a combination of the two. Hmmm ...

Must say, though, we're short on rock in the sandy hills of East Texas. It would definitely have to be imported!

Thanks again, for your help.

doohap